It seems that every fear that Chicago Bears fans had about Caleb Williams not wanting to play for the Bears had some truth to it.
An upcoming book, American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback, will share some explosive insight about Caleb Williams's and his dad's thought process about playing for the Bears. Byeond just detailing Williams' camp looking for a way where he wouldn't have to play for the Bears to begin his NFL career, it seemed that the quarterback was locked onto the idea of joining a NFC North rival.
The book is authored by ESPN's Seth Wickersham, who reveals that Williams was locked onto the idea of playing for the Minnesota Vikings. Wickersham details the meeting that Williams had with Vikings' head coach Kevin O'Connell during the Scouting Combine prior to the 2024 NFL Draft. The two sides had an instant connection, so much so that it sounds like the Bears were approached with the idea of trading the No. 1 pick to the Vikings.
"I need to go to the Vikings," he told his father. "Let's do it," his father replied. But both Caleb and Carl knew that a trade to a divisional rival was extremely unlikely.
Bears GM Ryan Poles stood firm, telling Williams, "We're drafting you no matter what."
It seemed that Williams and his dad were preparing to go all Kendrick Lamar on the Bears, saying everything they don't like about the Bears' organization, but also the city of Chicago. It seemed, however, that Williams thought better of that strategy in the weeks leading up to the draft.
To Williams' credit, he has embraced the Bears and the city of Chicago throughout his first season with the team. However, Williams knows how to brand himself in the right image. We're not saying Williams wasn't genuine in his love for the Bears and Chicago, but he clearly has it in him to turn heel at any moment.
The hope is that Ben Johnson's arrival truly has Williams embracing the Bears and his role as the team's starting quarterback. If not, it seems clear that Williams would be more than willing to forgo a massive extension with the Bears and look to play out his career elsewhere.